The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-17
A VETERAN OF THE CROSSING.
His "Reminiscences of Distinguished
Men and Women.

Avenue Hotel to the intersection Of Broad
! wav, Fifth avenue and Twenty third street,
stood near by The carriage was wrecked.
| Its coachman asked the officer for
| the number of the car The officer told him
that it was No. 81, and added that the driver
of the car was not at fault, as the coachman
was on the left-hand side of the street. by
! your stuDidityn said Officer Phillips you
have not only smashed your carriage, but
you have interrupted travel and created
general confusion. You can tell your EN-
ployer that he may sue for damages, but he
| will certainly get none if | am a witness.
| You can also advise him to employ driver
who knows his business.
| ''TheSe private drivers give us more
| trouble than all the others" said the officer
| to q reporter, who happened to witness the
| collision. Il never have any difficulty with
a stage or truck driver, nor with any OF
these delivery fellows They know their
| business and go right along, respecting
everybody elses rights as well as their own.
| But these swell drivers of private carriages
| with their nobbY uniforms and costly out
| fits. seem to think that they own the street
| and have right to drive wherever they
please, and that everybody else must get
| out of their way. The consequence is they
are always getting into trouble, just as this
| fellow did"
'You must see a good deal of life at this
| point, officer" suggested the reporter
Indeed | do,n replied the veteran.
more noted people cross here on foot and
in carriages than at any other point in the
city"
"How long have you been on this post"
cover dozen years. / am right tired Of
| it, | think | shall try to get transferred to
some other post before long"
Isn't this a pleasant post to be onW
cts pleasant enough so far as that goes;
| perhaps the pleasantest in the service. But
| the work is hard. There is no let up to it,
| There is always a crowd of vehicles passing,
and steady stream of pedestrians trying TO
get across | am obliged to keep the vehicles
moving regularly, and to see that the
walkers get across without accident. 1t
keeps me on the jump all day, and my legs
ache fearfully by the time night comes"
You must see a good deal of human ma
ture here"
'You are right, do l come in contact
with all sorts of people. [ have piloted
kings and queens, dukes and princes, presi-
dents and governors, bishops, priests,
| Judges, generals, and politicians of all kinds
| over this crossing By the way, there is a
| swell lady riding in that landau-see, she
recognizes mel used to carry her over
| here in my arms when she was a kid. They
| all know me, and | know them. | can tell o
| prominent person as soon as L set my eyes
| on him. | can detect mans character as
| quickly by his back as by his face. sup
| pose its experience / know nearly all the
| leading public men of the country, and
have spoken to them on this very crossing.
| "Gen. Grant never crossed here without
recognizing me, and usually passing word
| with me. He was not ashamed to be seen
| speaking to an officer. He was great man
| and a perfect gentleman. But Hancock was
my beau ideal of man. l always liked to
see him come along. He was grand-look-
| " fic n
crowd. He always recognized me and never
failed to give me a salute, and usually a
| pleasant word, in passing. Mcclellan used
to pass here very frequently He was al
ways polite, like all educated military men
but he was not such a cordial man as either
| Grant or Hancock. He greeted me i'll a for
NAL manner, more as a matter of ceremony
or necessity than as if it pleased him 10 meet
| me- 1851" go
Phil Sheridan? Well, now, Sheridan is
| a character. AS a soldier he was as brave
as the best of them, but when he comes to
| this crossing he is the most nervous man in
! the world. Why, he is actually more tinlid
about going across here than any woman
| He will stand on the curbstone and wait for
an opening, and believe would wait there
| half day if [ did not come forward to
escort him over. But he's a mighty good
| fellow. He never puts on any airs, nor for
| gets to recognize man he knows, no matter
how humble his position may be. Of course
! frequently see Gen. Sherman. He lives
right here in the hotel He never passes
without a pleasant word, and often shakes
hands with me. He's getting pretty old
now, and / always watch him close in
crossing. But he's never afraid, and never
gets into trouble Ben Butler is very often
a passer here, too. He's always well dressed
but never naughty. Sometimes he gets
by without seeing me, but that's only when
he's in a hurry. Most generally he recog
nizes me and has pleasant word to say.
''Dan Sicl1less Oh, he's my friend. like
to help him, with his one leg. He always
acknowledges any service, however slight
in the most courteous manner. He never
sees me without bowling and smiling. He's
a regular gentleman. Burnside is dead and
gone, and l don't like to say anything but
good of the dead, but Burnside was kind OF
distant like He was not so familiar as the
others. He used to recognize me, but it was
in understanding kind of way. didn't
like him much.
Eyes, I've met Cleveland here, but was
never struck with him. He was never cor
dial like his wife much better. | have
helped her across here when she was Miss
Folsom, and she was a splendid woman, too
Few women cross here who are equal to her
either in beauty or in general ladylike man
ners. ! always liked to have her come along
Talking of Mr.. Cleveland, there never was
n free, pleasanter, more agreeable man tC
meet than Blaine, and that, too, when he
wasn't "A candidate for President. l didn't
vote for him, nor would l now. l am 6
Mugwump, SO far as that goes, but that's
neither here nor there. like him as mar
and consider him one of the
most perfect gentlemen ever
met, and that's saying good deal. | meet
Mr.. Conliling very often, and consider him
one of the most polite men that ever knew
| met Mr.. Conkling one day right on this
curb, and he stopped, as he often does Il
pass word with me. While we We're talk
ing a man came along. lie was either the
Governor of Michigan or the Mayor OF
Detroit. He crowded in between us and
held out his hand to Mr.. Conking, saving
How do you do, Mr. Conlling' Mr. Conk
ling looked at him with severe dignity, and
without taking his hand, said: IN see you
in moment and continued his talk with
me. The gentleman stepped aside and
waited, and when Mr.. Conkling had finished
with me he went up to him, shook hands
with him, and the two walked off together
That was true politeness and dignity.
Henry Wilson! Yes, | used TO see him
but / never liked him. He was n big man
physically as well as politically, but he was
not cordial man. He was cold and distant
and never had anything to say, at least to a
man III my position. Schuyler Colfax used
to come along quite often. He was usually
pleasant enough, but would not generally
xW.aluN .N..ea a